1986 Comelec walkout

Last updated

On February 9, 1986, a group of computer technicians walked out from their jobs at the tabulation center of the presidential election called by President Ferdinand Marcos, claiming they observed anomalies in the election results being reported to the public. [1] This incident precipitated the People Power Revolution 13 days later, resulting in the end of Marcos's rule.

Contents

Background

On November 3, 1985, Philippine President Marcos announced a snap election for President and Vice-President to be held on Friday February 7, 1986. [2] [3]

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) contracted the National Computer Center (NCC), a bureau under the Office of the President, to automate the tabulation of votes. NCC developed the hybrid but mostly manual computer system, recruited and trained additional staff, and set up the election operations center at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). As the votes were being processed the computer technicians noticed discrepancies between their reports and the figures for the media and public posted on the large tally board at PICC. [4] [5]

The walkout

In protest, 35 technicians composed of 30 women and 5 men, walked out of the processing centre at 10:30pm on Sunday February 9, two days after election day. They first sought refuge in Baclaran Church about 5 kilometers away from PICC where they gave their only press conference before they went into hiding. Two women from among the 35 technicians spoke for the group. They were later identified as Juls Valderrama and Linda Kapunan. [6]

In their public statement released to the press days after, the group emphasised that their walkout was non-partisan and a mere declaration of their integrity and responsibility to the general public who deserve to know the truth. [7]

After the walkout

In fear for their safety, the group went into hiding firstly in the homes of two of the women, then to the Cenacle Retreat House in Quezon City. There, the nuns offered housing and spiritual guidance, while the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) provided physical security.

On February 22, 1986, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and General Fidel Ramos announced their break-away from the Marcos government, leading to the four-day People Power Revolution which ended the Marcos rule and brought Cory Aquino to power. [8] By then the 35 men and women who walked out of the COMELEC tabulation center 16 days earlier no longer had to hide. They were able to return to their homes and resume normal lives. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corazon Aquino</span> President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992

Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was a Filipino politician who served as the eleventh president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People Power Revolution, which ended the two-decade rule of President Ferdinand Marcos and led to the establishment of the current democratic Fifth Philippine Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People Power Revolution</span> Series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines in 1986 that overthrew Ferdinand Marcos

The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud. The nonviolent revolution led to the departure of Ferdinand Marcos, the end of his 20-year dictatorship and the restoration of democracy in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquilino Pimentel Jr.</span> President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2000 to 2001

Aquilino Quilinging Pimentel Jr., commonly known as Nene Pimentel, was a Filipino politician and human rights lawyer who was one of the leading political opposition leaders during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos from the declaration of martial law in 1972 until the People Power Revolution in 1986, which removed Marcos from power. He co-founded the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban) and served as the President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2000 to 2001. He is the father of incumbent senator and former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III. In 2018, Pimentel was identified by the Human Rights Victims' Claims Board as a Motu Proprio human rights violations victim of the Martial Law Era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Philippine presidential election</span>

The 2004 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on Monday, May 10, 2004. In the presidential election, incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won a full six-year term as President, with a margin of over one million votes over her leading opponent, movie actor Fernando Poe Jr.

Elections in the Philippines are of several types. The president, vice-president, and the senators are elected for a six-year term, while the members of the House of Representatives, governors, vice-governors, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, mayors, vice-mayors, members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod/members of the Sangguniang Bayan, barangay officials, and the members of the Sangguniang Kabataan are elected to serve for a three-year term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commission on Elections (Philippines)</span> Philippine independent constitutional commission

The Commission on Elections, abbreviated as COMELEC, is one of the three constitutional commissions of the Philippines. Its principal role is to enforce all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of elections in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 Philippine presidential election</span>

The 1986 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on February 7, 1986. Popularly known as the 1986 snap election, it is among the landmark events that led up to the People Power Revolution, the downfall of the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, and the accession of Corazon C. Aquino as president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 Philippine presidential election</span> Selection of the Southeast Asian countrys head of state

The 1992 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on May 11, 1992. This was the first general election held under the 1987 Constitution. An estimated 80,000 candidates ran for 17,000 posts from the presidency down to municipal councilors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fourth Philippine Republic</span> Filipino government (1981–1986)

The Fourth Philippine Republic, also known as the FourthRepublic of the Philippines was established after Ferdinand Marcos Sr won the June 16, 1981, Philippine Presidential Election. Marcos announced the beginning of the Fourth Republic on June 30, during his inauguration speech. On February 25, 1986, due to the 1986 EDSA Revolution, Marcos ended into exile in Hawaii and Corazon Aquino became the 11th president of the Philippines. The Fourth Republic would come to an end under Aquino's leadership, and the Fifth Republic would commence with the adoption of a new constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andres D. Bautista</span> Filipino academic administrator

Juan Andres "Andy" Donato Bautista is the former chairman of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) of the Philippines and former dean of the Institute of Law of the Far Eastern University, a private, non-sectarian university in Manila, Philippines.

The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections or NAMFREL is an election watchdog in the Philippines. It was the first and one of the most famous election watch campaigns. It is known to have introduced non-partisan national election monitoring to the Philippines after exposing the issues involved with the 1986 Snap Elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominion Voting Systems</span> Electronic voting systems company

Dominion Voting Systems Corporation is an American company that produces and sells electronic voting hardware and software, including voting machines and tabulators, in Canada and the United States. The company's headquarters are in Toronto, Ontario, where it was founded, and Denver, Colorado. It develops software in offices in the United States, Canada, and Serbia. Dominion produces electronic voting machines, which allow voters to cast their votes electronically, and optical scanning devices used to tabulate paper ballots. Dominion voting machines have been used in countries around the world, primarily in Canada and the United States. Dominion systems are employed in Canada's major party leadership elections, and across the nation in local and municipal elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Philippine general election</span> Election in the Philippines on 2004

Presidential elections, legislative elections and local elections were held in the Philippines on May 10, 2004. In the presidential election, incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won a full six-year term as president, with a margin of just over one million votes over her leading opponent, highly popular movie actor Fernando Poe Jr.

1986 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 1986.

The People Power Revolution was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines that began in 1983 and culminated in 1986. The methods used amounted to a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud. This case of nonviolent revolution led to the toppling of dictator Ferdinand Marcos and the restoration of the country's democracy.

The Aquino family of Tarlac is one of the most prominent families in the Philippines because of their involvement in politics. Some family members are also involved in other fields such as business and entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rowena Guanzon</span> Filipina lawyer and politician

Maria Rowena Amelia Villena Guanzon, is a Filipina lawyer, public servant, and politician who notably served as Philippine Commission on Elections commissioner from 2015 to 2022 under President Benigno Aquino III and President Rodrigo Duterte. She had been an audit commissioner before taking office at the Philippine Commission on Elections in February 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Philippine general election</span> National, provincial, and local elections in the country

The 2022 Philippine general election took place on May 9, 2022, for the executive and legislative branches of government at every level – national, provincial, and local – except for the barangay officials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Cavite's 7th congressional district special election</span> Special election for a Philippine House of Representatives seat

A special election was held in Cavite's 7th congressional district on February 25, 2023, to fill the district's vacant seat in the House of Representatives of the Philippines for the remainder of the 19th Congress.

References

  1. ↑ "Vote Tabulators Quit, Cite Fraud : 30 Filipinos at Government Center Rebel". Los Angeles Times. 1986-02-10. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  2. ↑ "MARCOS DECLARES HE'LL CALL A VOTE EARLY NEXT YEAR (Published 1985)". 1985-11-04. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  3. ↑ "The Events Surrounding the 1986 Snap Elections". Human Rights Violations Victims' Memorial Commission. 2021-02-12. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  4. ↑ Branigin, William; Burgess, John (1986-02-10). "Fraud Charges Multiply in Philippines". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  5. ↑ McManus, Doyle (1986-02-10). "Vote Tabulators Quit, Cite Fraud : 30 Filipinos at Government Center Rebel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  6. ↑ "Collection: WHORM Subject Files; Folder Title:CO 125 (Philippines); 394279–395299; Box: 152" (PDF). Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  7. ↑ Go, Miriam Grace (2013-02-25). "1986 Comelec walkout not about Cory or Marcos". RAPPLER. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  8. ↑ Nemenzo, Gemma (2016-02-24). "30 Years Ago: Coup d'etat and People Power". Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  9. ↑ "Justice of no color: Exploring the truth behind the Comelec 35". The LaSallian. 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.